Fuse device.



E. 0. SCHWEITZER & A. HERZ.`

FUSE DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 3. 1907.

Patented June 29, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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E. 0. SCHWEITZER & A. HERZ.

FUSE DEVICE.

' APPLlcAnoN HLED APR.3.1901.

1 1 4:4, 732 Patented June 29, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT onnicn;l

Emvrtmn o. scnwnrrznn AND ALFRED HERZ, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FUSE DEVICE.

T aZZ wL0m it may concern Be 1t known that we, EDMUND O. Sc'nwnrrzER andALFRED HERZ, lcitizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, intheoounty of Cook and'State of Illinois, have invented 'a certain "newand useful Improvement in F use vDevices, of which thejfollowing is afull, clear, concise, and eXact description, reference lbeing had to theaccompanying 1o drawings, forming a part of this specifica-l tion.

Our invention 'relates' to fuse devices, and

its object is to increase-the eiiiciency vand genera-l Vutility of suchdevices;

More specifically stated,l the'object-of the invention is to Vpreventarcing upon the operation ofthe' fuse and thereby permit thefuse offuses on Acurrents of high potential with 4perfect safety.

l The'further object 4ofthe invention is. to

lprovide simpleand practical structures for accomplishing this result.-

Other objects'of-the invention will be referred tov hereinafter.' v

set forth, we'arrange to 'project a block ,or other obstacle into thespace occupied by the fuse immediatelygupon the operation of the same.-The obstacle 4is forced into the fuse space as soon asthefuse starts tosoften.

1n this way such space is filled and the path of any are whichmightotherwise prevail, is effectively blocked and thearc thereby prevented,due to the fact that vaporiz'ation of' the fuse lis substantially'prevented. As

la convenient arrangementfor carrying thish out, we arrange a fuse'between two blocks -or members, one of whichis subjected to springtension-tending to force it toward si? and against the other block ormember. The

rious formsof devices, two of which' are.

illustrated herein.' ,In oneof the same the blocks or 4fuse-holdingmembers are arranged Uin a casing with suitable contacts, the cas#speeication f Letters Patent.

Application mea Aprn a, 1907'.v serial 110,366,219.

In: carrying out the'invention as herein Patented June 29,1915.

ing being adapted for mounting in any preferred way. In the other form,the' blocks or members are mounted upon a plug member which is adaptedfor insertion into a socket member which latter is adapted to be mountedin any desired way, and provided with contacts with which connectin 'isto be made. The plu-g member 'carrying the fuse blocks or members, canbe withdrawn from the socket member to permit repair or' replacement ofa .fuse after being blown, and then reinserted into the socket member,the two membersbeing provided -with contact arrangements automaticallyconnecting the fuse in circuit upon the insertion of the plug member.

Certain of the broad features of'theinvention herein' set forth areclaimed in' an application filed by us' August 26,- 1909, Serial No.514,719, which is a division of' this application.

Figures 1 and 2 are cross sections'taken on lines' aitright angles tooneanother, of a plug and socket fuse device embodying our inventiongfFig. 3 is an elevation of the plug' member and Fig. 4 is an end view ofthe same; Fig. 5 'is a cross section showing the upper portion of theplug ,and Figu is a view of a detail of construction.

Referring to the tigu-res'of the drawings, the device therein showncomprises a socket member 15 and a plug member 16, whereof the member 15is conveniently in the-form of a casing' provided with wings or lugs 17,17 by which itca'n be mounted or'atta'ched in position. `The casing ofsaid member 15 provides a chamber 18 having side extensions 19, 19 (Fig.1i). A plug member 16 is adapted to fit into the chamber provided by"the casingl and is convenientlyV composed of Aa body portion 20 havingside eX- tensions 21, 21 and provided' with a handle 22. Blocks 23,23and 24 are mounted upon the body portion 20 of said plug member. Theblock 23 is secured to lugs 25 by screws 26 passing through said blockand said lugs and provided with nuts 27. The block`24 is loose upon theblock 23,but 'is normally' held in position by springs 28, 28 secured tothe plug member by screws 29andI-e'utended up through grooves 30 (Fig.y3) in the sides of the blocks -23 and24, theuppel" ends of saidspringsbeing providedwithl heads 31, 31 to engage the -upper surface ofthe block 24. The block 23- is providedwith a groove or channel (Figs. 2and 4) and the block 24 with a downwardly' eX- tending projection 32adapted to t in said groove or channel in the block 23. Thus the 'upperblock 24 is held vagainst sidewise vmovement by the projection 32 andagainst endwise -movement by` the upper straight portions of the springs28, 28 fitting in the grooves 30, A fuse 33 is arranged in the groove inthe top-of the block 23 and extended down at the ends of said block andconnected with.. contacts 34, 34 secured to the plug memberI 16. Saidcontacts 34, 34 are in the form of blades with pointed upper edges asshown in Fig. 6. The socket member 15 is provided with contact members35, 35 conveniently in the form of separated blades adapted to receivethe contact mem bers 34, 34 on the plug member 16. Contacts 36, 36 areconnected to the contacts 35,

35 and understood to -be part of the circuit to be protected. i

The socket member 15 is provided with a I yoke 37 which is adapted toVswing back 'and forth underneath and away from the handle 22 on theplug member andy thereby hold said member in position when desired, andto permit the removal of the same when desired. A flexible connectorsuchas a cord or wire 38 is connected to one of thewings 17 on the socketmember 15 and also to. the handle 22 on the plug member 16. This is toprevent the plug member from dropping should it become disengaged fromthe socket member.

The socket member 15 is provided with inwardly extending ribs orprojections 40, and

the plug member with outwardl extending projections 41 (Fig. 3) which talongside ofthe ribsl 40 and thus form with the latter a partitiondividing the .chamber of the socket` member into two compartments,thereby more efectually preventing the formation of an are..

In the operation ofthe device, the fuse 1s normally in position betweenthe two blocks 23 and 24 as shown in the figures. But when anoverloadcurrent traverses it and causes said channel being wider than the fuse,and

means for crushing the yfuse and flattening it Out in said channel whenthe fuse begins to upon said fuse ing al plug and socket member beingarranged with its closed end soften, said crushing means being of thesame width as the fuse channel.

2. The combination of a fuse supporting member having a channel for thefuse, said channel being wider than the fuse, a fuse block having. workin said ch as the chann portion adapted to fit and nnel, and of the samewidth and spring means acting sive pressure on the fuse.

3. A device the class specified comprising a plug and socket member, thesocket member being arranged with its closed end uppermost and the plugmember being insertible into the socket member from below, a fusecarried by one of said members means movable upon sufficient v'softeningof the fuse .to occupy the fuse space. and means for holding the pluglmember in the socket member.

4. A device of the class member, the socket uppermost and the plugmember being insertible into thesocket member from below, a fuse carriedby onev of vsaid members,

, lock and exerting a compresspecified comprisspring contacts on theyplug and socket meinbers adapted to engage one another "when the plugmember is inserted into the socket member and movable means adapted tooccupy the fuse space upon suicient softening of the said`fuse.

5. A device of the class specified, having upper and lower fuse'blocksfor the fuse, l

one of which yhas a fuse channel and the other .la strip or portionadapted to fit into said channel, the fuse being in contact with theupper `and lower walls of said channel.

and a spring acting to oppose separationof saild upper and lower wallsofthe fuse channe H 6. A fuse device comprising a lug having` glugaprojection, and a fuse'carried y said and extending over said projectionand ent inpassing .over the saine, terminals at the base of saidprojection towhich said fuse is connected, a socket .member4 capable ofreceiving said plug, and having contacts caf` pable of receiving saidterminals onthe plug,

and a movable member acting against said vfuse to form withsaidprojection an impediment to the formation of an arc between saidterminals. f

' 7. In a fuse device, the combination of a pair of fuse holding membersbetween which the fuse is placed, one of said members having a rooveandI the other a projection adapte .to fit into said groove, and thefuse bein placed into said groove,- one of said mem ers being movabletoward and away from the other, and side springs engaging the movablemember and having a portion of. their length arranged in side grooves insaid blocks to prevent lateral movement thereof."

izo

8. A fuse device comprising plug and socket members, coperating contactson said members, a fuse extending between the contacts on the plugmember, a movable block resting upon a portion of the length of saidfuse, and spring means holding said block against said fuse and adaptedto force the same into the space occupied by the fuse when the latteroperates.

9. A fuse device comprising plug and socket members, said members beingprovided With means forming a partition to divide the chamber of thesocket member into two compartments each containing one of the fuseterminals, and a spring-actuated fuse block adapted for projection intothe path of the arc upon the blowing of the fuse and thereby completingthepartition dividing the fuse chamber into two compartments.

10. A device of the class specified, comprising plug and socket members,one of which is provided with line terminals, and the other of Whichcarries a fuse and damping members arranged on opposite sides of thefuse and in Contact therewith, together with spring means for holdingsaid members in position.

In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names this th day of MarchA. D., 30

EDMUND O. SCHWEITZER. ALFRED HERZ. Witnesses:

A. M. BELFIELD, I. C. LEE.

